I'm kind of thinking ahead here. My ds 4 is doing 100 EZ lessons right now and is doing really well and I'm trying to think of what to do with him for phonics in kindergarten. I really would like to move him into LLATL once we are finished but I'm not sure which level would be appropriate. Would blue be too repetitive or will it cover phonics that wasn't covered in 100 EZ lessons. I was wondering if red would be too old for a kinder. So opinions please. What level would be more appropriate or if you have suggestions of something to do in between 100 EZ lessons and red. I know Phonics Pathways is typically recommended after 100 EZ, but I just don't click with it at all. Thanks, Heather

I tried bk 1 with my 4 yr old but it didn't help with blending so we quit and went to 100 EZ Lessons. The beginning exercises are great for teaching blending. He read his first sentence today. I was very proud of him.

High I'm Heather and I have 2 ds's ages 4 and 19 mo. I teach homeschool math. I can understand the reasoning behind this seeing how yesterday a check just bounced from someone who purchased from me and I've already sent the product. If she doesn't reply to my e-mail soon then I will be posting her name all over the homeschool forums I frequent so others don't get swindled. My hope is that it truly was an accident and that she will try to make it right. My dh says paypal only from now on.

I'm sure you already read this, but just in case. It says that if they purchased with a credit card they can call the credit card company and cancel the charges. If they used cash they will have to fill out a form to be used in the ch 11 filings. If they went through Sw then SW will exchange the tickets. http://www.ata.com/

When my first ds was born, he wouldn't start breathing and he turned blue and went limp and they had to resuscitate him. I'm glad there were no children there. My parents, dh and my sister were there and it was traumatic enough for them, I can't imagine a child witnessing it. That said I would say maybe to dd and no to ds.

I changed my major in college a million times. I ended up with a BS in History and one in Business, but I have 15 elective hours in education and 22 elective hours in upper level math I also have elective hours in Chemistry. I've used my elective hours more than my degrees LOL. I would have stuck with the math major had I not gotten married, knew I was going to be SAHM. I decided after Calc 2 and Prob and Stats that I didn't feel like putting the effort into studying like I did before since I was a newly wed. So I changed majors:)

No highschool is really difficult if you don't have a math background. Saxon was written more for self teaching and BJU was written to be used in a classroom situation. You could use their DVD program and then your dc could be more independent.

Well I was homeschooled starting in 3rd grade. That was 1988. So if I start there its been 20 yrs and my oldest is 4. My experience is 10yrs being homeschooled, 9 yrs homeschooling other's children in highschool math, and 4 yrs with my own kids. I did purposefully do things with my kids when they were infants and I bought my first homeschool curriculum when my oldest was 2.

That is too funny! If only they knew the things they say. My ds4 has had his share of comments. I record them in a journal that I keep to him. It is sure to embarrass him when he is older :D.

Thank you for your replies. I know most people don't use a science curriculum in K, but I need something for a guide. I very much dislike textbooks so we don't do that. I do have a curriculum for prek that I use. I use a combo of living learning books level 1 and Science is simple. Neither of them plan things day to day. They have topics and give a list of picture books and videos and experiments that can be done. I like it because it has made me have butterfly gardens and praying mantis' eggs and rock kits and planting gardens. We play with magnets. We check out 40 books a week from the library and my ds4 still wants more. We are very much enjoying ourselves. So I was just looking for something that will give us the same experience we had this year. I did find it. LLB level 2 can be used in kindergarten and so next year we will study weather, volcanoes, earthquakes, astronauts etc. It is all very informal. I would love to go to the zoo, but it is really difficult to get to and it is already almost to hot to go. In about a month or so the Animals won't be out because it will be too hot. I don't expect formal textbook stuff. RS4K was the only textbook that I was considering because the sample pgs looked more lighthearted. But when I realized how much it was going to cost I changed my mind. I liked the looks of Wp and noeo because of all the books that I thought we might like to read, but I think that LLB has more selections for younger kids. I was homeschooled and I'm a strong believer in doing what is right for each child. If a young child wants to do school then do it. If they don't want to then don't. My son requests to do school day in day out. We will have spent several hours on school and I say we are done and he begs for more. I think he is just unusual. I have a 19 month old ds too. We shall see if he is like his brother. I started using Hands on homeschooling curriculum age 2 when ds4 was about 21 months old. He could barely talk but I would pull out the manual and he would run through the house yelling "Yay school!" Then when around 22 months he came into the room where I was one evening and said "School?" He was holding my manual that was about as big as he was. It was so cute. He has always loved school. Every once in a while he'll get tired of it and so we will take a break for a couple of weeks and then he'll come back full steam ahead. So I just watch him to see what we need to do. Thank you for all you concerns. Heather

we also have the plastic table from IKEA and they have done really well. We have had to replace 2 stools though here recently. One was sitting up on top pf the ironing board so my 18 month old couldn't use it to get into stuff and it got knocked off onto a tile floor and the leg broke. Our other one that broke my ds 4 was standing on it and making it rock back and forth. My kids are extremely rough on things. So I think all in all they have held up. we've had them for about 2 yrs. Also we went to Ikea and purchased replacement stools. We really do like them.

Thanks for all your replies :) I think I'm going to go with Living Learning Books level 2. I didn't realize that I could use it with a kindergartener until last night. I like LLB level 1 because it is laid back and informal. I request each week's library books from the library and we do the suggested experiments. we are really enjoying that. I am also right now doing science is simple along with it. So we have been playing with magnet kits, we just released our butterflies yesterday from our butterfly garden and we are about to send off for our praying mantis egg case. I know people don't usually do formal school at this age, but my son requests it and even after we have done school for a couple of hours he is still begging for more. What was the CLE science like? I keep looking at it but it doesn't tell you much. Thanks, Heather

I will be starting kindergarten with my son next Jan. He turns 5 in Dec. I want to start Apologia in 1st grade, so I don't want to do that just yet. We are doing Living Learning Books Level 1 right now and loving it. I am looking at about 4 different programs and would like thoughts on them. Winterpromise - The World around me We really like to read and I'm not sure that there are enough reading type books in this. RS4K pre level 1 - I really like the looks of this but it is so expensive. Is it worth it? Noeo Science Level 1 - I like the looks of them but I am concerned that the Chemistry and the Physics might be too difficult for a 5 yr old. The Biology, I like the looks of, but I'm wondering if it would be too much of a repeat from this year. Weather, Bacteria, fungi, and habitats would be new. The only book that they use that we are using this year already is the Science with plants. So talk me into something please. I know I'm planning way ahead, but I need to save up for it. Thanks in advance :001_smile:

I was homeschooled from 3rd through 12th and then went on to college. I loved being homeschooled and I am homeschooling my prek right now and I teach homeschool math to highschoolers. I don't feel that it hurt me socially at all. I had a group of friends that homeschooled and I am still in touch with them. We all did well in college and I even had a professor one time tell me that she preferred having former homeschooled students in her class because we were more respectful and did better work. So I think that says a lot. None of my friends have social problems and they seem to have adjusted to adult life nicely. Most of them are married and have kids now and are planning on homeschooling too. So I think that says a lot. It is nice having been homeschooled because I don't have the worries that other mothers do about whether or not I'm capable of homeschooling. My mother didn't have a degree and she did a great job with my sister and me and is now homeschooling my 7 adopted siblings and is doing a great job with them.

Thanks you for all your replies. So Do you feel that CD and VT are the same as far as what is covered? Do you think that VT really covers prealgebra through preacal between the algebra and geometry programs like they say?

Can anyone compare the two? Which one do you prefer? The pros and cons? Thanks, Heather

ds 4 did the primers. He hated A and B so I shelved C and came back to it later. He loved C and so I bought 1 and 2 and he hates them. I shelved them hoping that maybe he'll like them later? We are using 100 easy lessons and he seems to be responding well to that. We've only done 6 lessons though, but that is further than we have gone in any other program and the lessons have been peaceful if you know what I mean :)

What about The Easy French?

Thanks :)

Well we just started our new curriculum. We school yr round. DS just turned 4 in Dec. Bible/Character: We do a mix of Hubbard's cupboard 3 yr old Bible and 4 yr old character curriculum. Reading: Activities from Wow I'm Reading and lessons from 100 easy Lessons Workbooks: Kumon Animal Mazes and Developing the Early Learner Math:Children's books from Have You Read Any Good Math Lately? and activities out of the Cuisenaire idea book Preschool Plus from Hewitt Homeschooling So far I have him begging for more when we stop for the day. So that is a good sign! I forgot to say that my toddler will be 2 in Sept so I will start stuff with him then. Little Hands to Heaven Hands on Math ABC Jumbo Fun with the Alphabet by Evan-moor Science:Science is Simple and Living Learning Books Level 1 Chapter Books: I just read various books German: Springboard to German (We are just doing this because it is fun and I already had it. It was mine when I was a kid) History: Various books

Anyone have any that are good that don't contain nut flours or corn? Thanks, Heather

We loved Kumon, Little Hands to Heaven, and Hands on homeschooling

I used to teach T/Th for 1.5 hrs. It is definitely better than one day a week. If I did it again I would try to see if I could do it on M/th. I know that is strange, but it would allow 2 days to get work done in between classes. It always seemed they were rushing on wednesday.

I e-mailed the lady who wrote The Easy French about her writing a Hebrew program again and she answered me this morning. She said that they plan on doing a Hebrew program once they finish up their German that they are working on. She said that if all goes as planned then the Hebrew will be out in about 2-3 yrs. I will be praying that it does work out that way because that will have it coming out right at the age I really want my son to start learning it.

We've only done up through lesson 6, but so far so good. I really would prefer to use Reading made easy. Its code is simpler. My ds4 dug his heels in though. He really was having issues with blending. 100 Ez lessons starts with a lot of blending and rhyming exercises which he needs. So I may try to some how transition into Reading Made Easy if it is possible. It is supposed to go a little further into phonics than 100 EZ Lessons. Cathy Duffy recommends moving into LLATL Red after reading Made Easy to finish up the phonics instruction. That is our goal.